The National Union of Bank Employees (NUBE) today alleged that expelled office bearers have influenced commercial banks to create industrial disharmony and cripple the union under the recently elected leaders.

In a statement released to the media during the lunch break picket at the Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank Corporation (HSBC) headquarters in Kuala Lumpur, NUBE deputy president Abdul Zaman Abdullah claimed that the expelled office bearers whose memberships have also been suspended are "singing the same tune" with the Malayan Commercial Banks Associations (MCBA).

The picket at Lebuh Ampang today saw some 500 bank employees from all over the city.

Abdul Zaman named a former deputy president and a former treasurer as two key persons who influenced MCBA to stop the monthly 'check off' (automatic deduction of fees from monthly salary) for the past two months.

The union members will automatically lose their membership if they fail to pay the fees for three consecutive months.

Collective agreement

"MCBA wants the expelled and suspended group to be at the helm of the union, so that a few articles can be taken out from the collective agreement to favour employers," Abdul Zaman added.

He added that the previous collective agreement signed in 2001 was detrimental to bank employees as the former office bearers had agreed to drop a clause pertaining to outsourcing, which allowed banks to farm out work to outsiders without having to refer to the union.

After 18 years of existence, the 28,000-strong union elected its office bearers for the first time in July this year. Previous office bearers were appointed within a committee.

Abdul Zaman also said that banks had no problems with monthly fees deduction under the previous NUBE leadership, although it could be said that it had wasted RM23 million of union fees, "down the drain", since 1998.

"This was because the previous leaders were 'yes men' who were always doing favours for the employers rather than serving the union members themselves," he said.

Union fees

He found it ironical that MCBA is now questioning the manner in which the union has been spending the union fees although it had no right to do so.

"All banks have to do is to deduct the subscription fees and remit the monies to the registered union office as indicated in NUBE authorisation form. Their duty and responsibility end there," stressed Abdul Zaman.

"NUBE will be accountable to its members and banks should not get involve in NUBE affairs," he added.

Abdul Zaman alleged that the banks and MCBA are creating confusion with the help of the expelled NUBE members to weaken the union as the collective agreement is due for renewal this year.

Angry bank employees resumed picketing today at all HSBC branches nationwide after a three-day hiatus given to MCBA to change its stance.

The Malaysian Trades Union Congress secretary-general G Rajasekaran described the response from the banks as "an arrogant defiance" of Human Resources Minister Dr Fong Chan Onn's appeal.

Over the weekend, Fong had called on the association to resume the fees deduction as demanded by the union.

The minister also advised the union and employers to maintain industrial harmony.

Picket to go on

Meanwhile, NUBE general secretary J Solomon (photo) said the pickets will be held at different banks each day until justice is done to the bank employees.

Yesterday, NUBE received a two-line letter from MCBA stating that the association was "in communication with the honourable minister with regard to the matter".

MCBA is made up of Alliance Bank, Maybank, Bumiputra Commerce, Hong Leong Bank, Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank (HSBC), Affin Bank, Public Bank, RHB Bank and Standard Chartered.

MCBA chairperson Nik Hassan Nik Mohamad could not be reached for comment.